Hank Parkhurst — Two Original Handwritten Family Letters, January 1952
Early A.A. Pioneer, Works Publishing Co-Founder & Author of “The Unbeliever”
With 1999 Sworn Affidavit Documenting Authenticity and Provenance
Offered here is a remarkable pair of original handwritten letters by Henry G. “Hank” Parkhurst, one of the most important figures in the earliest publishing history of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Both letters were written in January 1952 on stationery from the Hotel Hildebrecht in Trenton, New Jersey, during the final years of Parkhurst’s life. Written to members of his immediate family, they offer an unusually personal glimpse of Parkhurst outside the familiar story of the early Alcoholics Anonymous movement.
The first, dated January 1, 1952, is a substantial letter to his son Hank and daughter-in-law Martha discussing marriage, family, Christianity, church attendance, and self-discipline.
The second, dated January 4, 1952, was written only three days later and reveals Parkhurst dealing with an urgent and unresolved legal matter. In one of the letter’s most striking passages, he writes emphatically in large capital letters:
“I WANT TO GET LOOSE HERE”
The two letters are accompanied by a sworn affidavit dated June 1, 1999, executed by Merton M. Minter III. The affidavit specifically identifies both letters among a larger group of original Hank Parkhurst correspondence and documents their earlier transfer from Mitch Klein and Martha Parkhurst.
Hank Parkhurst and Early Alcoholics Anonymous
Hank Parkhurst occupies an important place in the formative years of Alcoholics Anonymous and the creation of the book Alcoholics Anonymous.
Parkhurst worked closely with Bill Wilson during the development and publication of the original Big Book and was instrumental in establishing Works Publishing Company, the organization created to publish the book in 1939.
His personal story, “The Unbeliever,” appeared in the First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Parkhurst was also among the early members who pushed for spiritual language broad enough to accommodate alcoholics who were skeptical of conventional religion. His experience and viewpoint formed part of the larger debate surrounding the religious and spiritual language used in the developing A.A. program.
That history makes the content of the January 1, 1952 letter particularly interesting.
January 1, 1952 — Marriage, Religion and Family
The first letter is addressed to Martha and Hank—Parkhurst’s daughter-in-law Martha and his son, Henry Giffen “Hank” Parkhurst II.
Parkhurst begins by telling them that the things he wishes for most are their happiness and the happiness of his younger son, Robert.
He then turns to the subject of advice, explaining that loving advice is intended only to help those one loves avoid dangers and that the person giving such advice should not become angry if it is not followed.
With some humor, he announces:
“So Solomon here will probably beat your ears out with words of wisdom.”
Parkhurst then addresses the young couple’s marriage directly, telling them that he wants their marriage to be happy and to last forever.
He recommends that they develop the habit of attending church together and taking an active interest in it.
What follows is particularly notable given Parkhurst’s history and his First Edition story, The Unbeliever. He makes a distinction between church attendance and personal goodness or Christianity, writing that people do not have to attend church in order to be good or Christian. Instead, he argues that the self-discipline created by regular participation together can produce substantial benefits for a couple and their children.
The letter therefore provides an unusual primary-source glimpse into Parkhurst’s thoughts about religion, marriage and family more than a decade after the publication of the Big Book.
He signs the letter simply:
“Dad.”
January 4, 1952 — “I WANT TO GET LOOSE HERE”
Only three days later, Parkhurst wrote again from the Hotel Hildebrecht.
The tone is noticeably different.
Addressing the recipients as “Dears,” Parkhurst reports that the preceding two days had consisted of nearly continuous “go rounds with lawyers.”
He stresses the importance of receiving answers to questions he had previously sent, explaining that those answers would have considerable bearing on “our next step.”
He warns that he may be sending questions practically every day over the following week and then emphasizes, in large block capitals:
“I WANT TO GET LOOSE HERE”
He immediately adds that he wants to plan whatever comes next in the way that will be best “for all of us.”
The letter closes:
“Love to you all Dad”
The precise legal matter Parkhurst was dealing with has not been established. The surviving correspondence does not provide sufficient information to determine whether it concerned property, finances, family affairs, business matters, or another issue.
Rather than speculate beyond the evidence contained in the letters, the circumstances are presented here as Parkhurst recorded them.
Documented Provenance
An important component of this offering is the accompanying sworn affidavit dated June 1, 1999, executed by Merton M. Minter III.
In the affidavit, Minter states that the documents listed in the accompanying schedule were “true and original documents” and were the same documents transferred to him by Mitch Klein and Martha Parkhurst.
The schedule inventories twelve Hank Parkhurst letters individually.
The two letters offered here are specifically identified as:
C. Handwritten letter to Martha and Hank, dated 1/1/52
G. Handwritten letter to “Dears,” dated 1/4/52
This documentation is particularly valuable because Martha Parkhurst was herself an original recipient of the January 1 letter and is subsequently named in the 1999 affidavit as one of the individuals from whom the group of documents was transferred.
The affidavit therefore provides a documented Parkhurst-family connection for the correspondence in addition to specifically identifying these two letters by recipient and date.
The remaining Hank Parkhurst letters listed in the 1999 affidavit are not included with this offering. This offering consists solely of the two original letters described above together with the accompanying affidavit.
Preservation and Condition
Both original letters remain complete and legible.
The January 1, 1952 letter is handwritten in blue ink on Hotel Hildebrecht stationery and retains its original folds. It exhibits age toning, scattered spotting and discoloration, minor ink transfer and handling wear consistent with its age and history.
The January 4, 1952 letter is likewise handwritten in blue ink on Hotel Hildebrecht stationery and retains its original folds. It shows age toning, scattered spotting and discoloration, handling wear and darker discoloration toward the lower portion of the sheet.
According to the accompanying 1999 affidavit, the group of Parkhurst letters was chemically deacidified using a methanol/magnesium-based archival treatment and subsequently housed in DuPont Mylar archival material.
This conservation information is reported as stated in the affidavit and has not been independently verified by Recovery Collectibles.
Please review all photographs carefully for the most accurate representation of condition.
Historical Significance
Hank Parkhurst is most often encountered in A.A. history through the extraordinary events surrounding the creation of the Big Book—his relationship with Bill Wilson, Works Publishing, the debates surrounding the manuscript, and his First Edition story, The Unbeliever.
These letters preserve something quite different.
Written in 1952, approximately two years before Parkhurst’s death, they document him privately as a father concerned with the marriages, happiness and future of his family.
The January 1 letter is particularly compelling because Parkhurst discusses religion and church attendance in his own words. Rather than presenting church attendance as a requirement for goodness or Christianity, he recommends it to his son and daughter-in-law as a shared discipline capable of strengthening their marriage and benefiting their future family.
For a man remembered in A.A. history as the author of The Unbeliever and as an important voice in the development of the Big Book’s inclusive spiritual language, the letter offers an unusually personal later-life perspective.
The January 4 letter provides a striking companion document. Written from the same hotel only three days later, it captures Parkhurst amid an unresolved legal and family situation, urgently seeking answers and declaring:
“I WANT TO GET LOOSE HERE.”
Together, the two letters preserve a small but revealing chapter of Hank Parkhurst’s later life—one documented not through later recollections, but through Parkhurst’s own handwriting and words.
Item Details
Author: Henry G. “Hank” Parkhurst
Dates: January 1, 1952 and January 4, 1952
Place Written: Hotel Hildebrecht, Trenton, New Jersey
Format: Two original handwritten family letters
Ink: Blue
Recipients: Martha and Hank Parkhurst / members of the Parkhurst family
Signatures: Both signed “Dad”
Documentation: Sworn affidavit dated June 1, 1999
Affiant: Merton M. Minter III
Earlier Provenance Documented in Affidavit: Mitch Klein and Martha Parkhurst
Condition: Complete and legible with age-related toning, spotting, folds and handling wear; see photographs
Included: Two original Hank Parkhurst letters and accompanying 1999 affidavit
Collector’s Note
Original correspondence from Hank Parkhurst provides a direct connection to one of the most consequential figures in the creation and publication of the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book.
This pair is especially compelling because its significance extends beyond Parkhurst’s signature. The letters contain substantial personal content concerning marriage, religion, Christianity, family, self-discipline and the circumstances of his later life, while the accompanying 1999 affidavit specifically identifies both documents and preserves their connection to the Parkhurst family.
Together, they offer an intimate primary-source glimpse of Hank Parkhurst the man, more than a decade after his pivotal role in the creation of the Big Book.
